The present invention relates to a mounting method of a cleaning blade for cleaning a toner image carrier in an electrophotographic process and an image forming apparatus for forming an image by electrophotographic process.
A rubber-made cleaning blade is often used as a cleaning unit for removing toner and others from a toner image carrier such as a photoconductor and intermediate transfer member in the electrophotographic process.
When a cleaning blade is mounted on the image forming apparatus, a cleaning failure may occur due to defective operation of the cleaning blade immediately after mounting. To be more specific, if the toner image carrier is moved with the tip edge of an unused cleaning blade kept in contact with the toner image carrier, the cleaning blade fails to move smoothly along the surface of the toner image carrier due to an increased frictional drag between the cleaning blade and toner image carrier. This will result in turning over of the cleaning blade or passing through of toner.
Some of the cleaning blades are used until the service life of the image forming apparatus expires. The other cleaning blades may be replaced during the operation before the service life of the image forming apparatus expires. The aforementioned problem also occurs during the replacement of the cleaning blade.
To solve the aforementioned problem arising immediately after mounting of the cleaning blade, the Japanese Patent Application Publication No. H8-220936 proposes a method of reducing the frictional drag between the mounted cleaning blade and toner image carrier by coating the toner image carver with a lubricant of zinc stearate and others.
To solve the aforementioned problem arising immediately after mounting of the cleaning blade, the Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-122498 proposes a method of reducing the frictional drag between the mounted cleaning blade and toner image carrier by forming a toner layer on the toner image carrier.
According to the Japanese Patent Application Publication No. H8-220936, the toner image carrier is coated with lubricant. According to the Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-122498, a toner layer is formed on the toner image carrier. However, in the Japanese Patent Application Publication Nos. H8-220936 and 2000-122498, the toner image carrier is moved only in one direction with the cleaning blade kept in contact with the toner image carrier after lubricant has been applied or the toner layer has been formed. Thus, the cleaning blade rubs against the surface of the toner image carrier without the frictional drag sufficiently reduced between the unused cleaning blade and toner image carrier. This will cause cleaning failures.
The present invention is intended to solve the aforementioned problem that may arise when cleaning blade is mounted or replaced. It is accordingly an object of this invention to ensure high cleaning performance and formation of a high-quality image.